Snap clamp



June 20, 1944. ca. A. TINNERMAN SNAP CLAMP Ofigifial Filed Nov. 2; 194.2

section of the clamp. as indicated by the line Patented June ZO, 1944 George A. Tinnerman, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Tinnerman Products, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Original application November 2, 1942, Serial No.

464,315. Divided and this 1943, Serial No. 485,713

2 Claims.

This application is a division of my copendin'g application for a Snap clamp, Serial No. 464,315, filed November 2, 1942. The invention relates to a clamp of the type which is adapted to surround an object, for instance, an assembly of wires, and be attached to a support. My clamp is preferably a normally open U-shaped spring member hav-,

ing,its end portions so formed that they may automaticallylock with each other when brought together about an object, such end portions providing arms for attachment of the clamp to a support. I v

Oneof the objects of my invention is to enable the clamp while attached to its support to be readily opened for change in the condition of the object held, for instance, for the removal of a wire for repair or for the'installation of an additional wire. This feature also enables the, clamps to be mounted empty and thereafter loaded in place, if desired.

Another object is to so form the interior of the clamp that it may snugly embrace objects of various-sizes so that it will be effective, for inapplication May 5,

in its cross-dimension, and looped into a U-shape with the ends adjacent each other but separated when the clamp is in the state of equilibrium.

At one end the metal body terminates in an arm designated II, which is substantially a straight continuation of the adjacent portion of the loop, while the other end portiorf is bent outwardly substantially at right angles to the adjacent porrubber protector hereinafter described.

stance, to hold groups of diflering numbers of conductors.

My invention is especially well adapted for airplane work enabling the immediate mounting of the clamp on a group of wires, embracing the same with suflicient snugness to hold the clamp in place while'the clamp may be snapped into closed 1 position to retain thewires in this bundled condition. Then the clamp maybe readily'mounted on the proper support by the simple expedient of a screw turned into a threaded opening or a ,two of my clamps about a bundle of wires, one

of the clamps being attached to .a support and the other automatically holding itself in position about the wires preliminary to an attachment to some support, not shown: Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the clamp in its open or normal position ready to be placed about the object; Fig. 3

is a view illustrating in section the clamp in closed position readyfor attachment; Fig. 4 is a cross- I-J on Fig. 3; Fi 5 is a cross section on a larger scale of the lining before its application to the body of the clamp.

As shown, the body of my clamp comprises a strap Ill of spring sheet metal, preferably straight" It results from the construction described that when the clamp is snapped shut, the inclined end ll of th arm l2 engages the edge of the return bend l3 on the arm H, and snaps beyond it, and

the resilience of the metal then causes this end when the clamp is closed and provide for the V i The opening it passage of a fastening screw. I through the arm H of the clamp is preferably a circular opening. to receive the fastening screw,

while the opening I! in the arm 12 is a notch, enabling the passage of the fastening. screw but also enabling the arm to be withdrawn without F removing the screw. This notch is shown at la.

in Fig. 4. The lower portion of'the opening H is preferably round for about a semi-circumference to receive the shank of the screw and above this the notch flares as shown at I8, preferably on a curve of larger radius than the head of the screw.

When the clamp is mounted by a screw passing through the openings l6 and 11, the head of the screw bears tightly against the outer face of the arm I! and clamps it in position. A very slight loosening of the screw, however, leaves the arm I! free from this binding action so that it may be pressed downwardly suillciently to free the ends from the hook I! on the other arm and bring the enlargement of the opening into registration with the head of the screw. Thus a comparatively short downward movement will entirely free this end of the clamp.

To enable the-clamp to grasp effectively objects of varying size, I provide the Peculiar lining 'illustrated in each of the figures. This lining.

which ls made of soft rubber or llar material. comprises a band to lying on the mar surface of the loop and suitably held thereon and having a plurality of inwardly projecting puckered webs 22, which are adapted to bear against the exterior of the object carried. As shown in the drawing,

7 the band is held in place by forming the marginal portions thereof so that they bend baclrwardlywavy flanges-are bent down, when the band is snapped shut, so that the flanges may lie in a more or less fiatposition against the surface of the body 28 of the band. Even though the clamp maybe completely filled with wires, thesoft surface of the flanges prevents-any abrasion of the insulation on the wires, and, of course, is itself lhsulatlve. 4

As stated, the condition of equilibrium of the clamp is as shown in Fig. 2. To place this about the bundle of wires it is simply slipped over the bundle, the arm l9. being cammed back by a assures adjacent the root of the arm l2 until the upper end of the arm clears the hook it? and the enlarged portlon of the notch 68 registers with the screw head, then the clamp will automatically open. by ltselialoy lts spring pressure.

It will be seen that'such a clamp as described maybe mounted with the maximum of speed about a'bundle of wires, the loop being sprung over has bundle or pulled apart at its ends, if necessary, and then is manually snapped, into the closed pcsltlon in Fig. 3, whereupon the clamp is I ready for attachment. After attachment repairs bundle materially larger than the distance between the two arms; until the space within the loop contains a number ofiwlres. Then a manual pressure on the clamp, la a region adjacent the angle'whcrc the arm 52 joins the body, will snap the free endof that arm beneath the hooked and l3 and the outward spring of the l p will carry the free arm 43 automatically behind the hook, so that the clamp comes into the locked position shown in Fig. 3. In this position, the

flanges embrace the group of wires withsufllcient snugness to prevent displacement of the clamp. This result takes place with the same size of clamp for bundles of quite dlfierent slze, due to the yielding character of the puckered flanges.

In airplane work, it becomes on occasions dleslrable to install extra wires in the clamp, after the original installation, without disturbing the existing wires. This is readily accomplished by my clamp. A slight loosening of the attaching and replacements of the wires may qulclrly. y Y

The metallic portloh of my clamp may be very cheaply and rapidly constructed of a ribbon of flat sheet metal having spring characteristics, it being merely necessary to punch the openings in the strip, out 05 the proper length and bend it into the opened loop'form shown. The lining member is formed as a stralght strip of a cross section as shown; in Fig. 4 and with the flanges substantially straight throughout. After the formation of the metal-loop Imount the protective lining theheon and the flanges assume the wrinkled or wavy form shown.

The claims in this application are concerned with the clamp of spring material irrespective of the lining, shown in the drawing and heretofore described. Reference is made to my parent application of 164,315 for claims on the combination of a clamp and'the lining herein illustrated and also claims on the lining h se.

I claim:

1. A snap fastening of material bent to provide an open loop termibe made very mating in two overlapping armsone of the arms having an opening therein for receiving fastening means for attaching it to a support, and the other of "said arms having a notch therein extending longitudinally of said strip inwardly from the end edge thereof, said notch being adaptedto reelve" said fastening. means, and operating to provide for opening and closlng of the loopby movement of the second arm with reference to the first arm in a. straight line dlrection, while screw, sothat ,its head does not bind the arm I:

of the clamp, enables installation of the additional wire or wires and the return of the clamp to closed position and re-locklng by tightening screw-ell ln-the minimum of time.

Fig. 1 indicates a. bundle of wires A embraced by two of my clamps.

One of these .is shown as merely snapped into closed position about the the first arm remains attached to said support.

2; A snap fastening clamp comprising a. strip of material bent to provide an open loop tenninatlng in two overlapping arms, one of the arms .belng bent'lnto a hook facing the other so that the latter may snap beneath and behind the hook and be retained thereby, the first-named bundle serving to hold these wlres together. The other clamp is shown as attached to a support 3 by a screw C passing throughtma openlngsln the clamp arms, into a threaded opening in the support orinto a nut on the rear face thereof.

Whenever it is necessary to remove one of the wires A or install an additional wire, the operator' merely loosens the screws C of the attached clamps slightly, presses downwardly on the loop 65 arm having an opening therein for receiving a. fastening member for attaching it to a' support and the other arm having a. notch therein ex-.

tending lohgltudinally of'sald strip inwardly from the end edge thereof, said notch being .fadapted .to' receivesaid fastening member and operatlng to provide for opening and closing of the loop by movement of one of said arms with reference to the other' arm in a straight line direction while the first of said arms remains attached' to said v support.

GEORGE A. TINNERMAN. j

clamp comprising a strip" 

